Review & Giveaway: WASP by Fiona Quinn

Series: Uncommon Enemies #1
Publisher: SilverHart Publishing
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 11th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

WASP:
Zoe Kealoha is a military research scientist. Her work is aimed at saving lives, but when intruders force their way inside her home, she only has seconds to hide beneath her bed. As she hears the heavy crunch of footfalls creep closer, she realizes her quiet, orderly world is about to be upended.

Unlike Zoe’s well-ordered world of hypothesis and laboratory-controlled environments, Gage Harrison loves the rush of risk. A member of the United States Marine’s elite Raider unit, Gage is a warrior in every sense of the word. His soft spot is Zoe. When he hears desperate screams from inside her home, his instinct and training switch from lover to guardian. He’ll stop at nothing to save Zoe from whatever evil lurks behind her bedroom door.

While Gage may have thwarted an attempt on Zoe’s life, he recognizes the skill of the men sent to abduct her. They, like he, were trained killers. And Gage knows they’ll be back. Gage and his team are willing to risk everything to protect Zoe, but untangling the sticky web of intrigue and finding the person behind her attempted abduction isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.

My Thoughts:

Mystery, romance, and a dollop of science fiction is a combination that I love so I was eager to read this. I hadn't heard of Quinn before but apparently this is an offshoot from another series of hers. It worked fine as a stand alone.

The story starts with a bang and doesn't let up for quite a while. It's a fast paced story with action around almost every corner. There are a few opportunities for the reader to catch their breath. With Zoe and Gage on the run for much of the story, it takes a long time to find out what it is that she's working on and how it connects to the title. I wish we'd found out a little bit earlier as I did spend much of the story wondering why exactly so many people were after Zoe and why so many government agencies were interested in her work. Also frustrating was Zoe herself. She is a passive participant for much of the story; she needs rescuing, frequently; she contributes little to any of the plans to rescue her or to find out who is after her; she panics, a lot; and at the end of the story I still felt as if I barely knew her. Gage was, well, engaging. :P He's smart, loyal, determined, and thoughtful. He respects Zoe and her quirks, and she is quirky, in a way that suggests she might be on the autism spectrum; he is stung by the realization that she's been keeping secrets from him but handles it well; is protective but doesn't smother or condescend; and he is not at all passive. He digs right into who might be after Zoe, why, and how best to protect her.

While I guessed the identity of the villain early on, the why was unclear but made sense at the end. It also became gradually clearer why so many government agencies were interested in Zoe's research. I don't know if what Quinn proposed is actually possible but it presents frightening possibilities, and seems like it could be true, if not now then in the near future. I hope not!

I was intrigued by Iniquus, the company that provides Zoe's protection. It seemed realistic and yet also romantic; a group of ex-military, warriors, who fight on the side of good and right. They work for money but they're not just about money. The men, and women, we meet are intriguing and fun, good at their work, but more than just their work. I would love to read more stories involving them so I will be checking out Quinn's back list. While Zoe didn't work for me as a heroine, I enjoyed the story, so much that I read it in one day. And I kind of want my very own Gage. :)


About the Author:

Canadian born, Fiona Quinn is now rooted in the Old Dominion outside of D.C. with her husband and four children. There, she homeschools, pops chocolates, devours books, and taps continuously on her laptop.

Find Fiona Online:

Website: http://www.fionaquinnbooks.com/
Newsletter: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Q8Mgy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9863605.Fiona_Quinn
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Quinn/e/B00OTQE926/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FionaQuinnBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FionaQuinnBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fionaquinn52

The author is giving one ebook copy. Giveaway ends April 21st at 11:59PM EST. Comment below to enter, and leave an email address to contact you at if you win.